HomeMy WebLinkAboutCB Minutes 2025-01-16 Town of Ithaca Conservation Board Meeting
January 16, 2025 5:30 pm
(In Person at Town Hall and via Zoon Video Conference)
Final Minutes
Members Present: Lori Brewer, Frank Cantone,James Hamilton, Eva Hoffmann, Ingrid Zabel (via Zoom)
Staff Present: Michael Smith (Senior Planner)
Guests: Ben Goodmark, here for his Ithaca High School class; Pete Loucks, interested in possibly joining
the CB
1. Persons to be heard: Ben and Pete had nothing to say, but were invited to speak or ask questions
whenever they wanted.
2. Member comments/concerns: Ingrid wanted to congratulate Mike Smith on his 25 years in the Town's
Planning Department. All of the CB joined in thanking him for his good work.James, concerned about
Verizon's cell tower project in the Wiedmaier Ct conservation zoned lot,wanted to be sure that project
had not been approved. Mike reported the Zoning Board of Appeals has not granted a height variance
for the proposed 138-foot monopole and it would be considered at their February meeting.James hopes
the Zoning Board will not grant the variance permitting this project.
3. Environmental Review Committee Update: Lori showed the CB pages from the Mirabito plans for the
new gas station with Burger King proposed at the corner of Pine Tree and Ellis Hollow Roads. Despite our
objection to the previous planned removal of the big trees just west of the old Burger King, the
demolition plans still propose the removal of the big catalpa and spruce trees there.The CB sees no
reason why the asphalt driveway for cars waiting in line for food at the drive-through delivery window
can't be routed around the trees;we will again advise that this plan not be allowed to remove trees
providing such important scenic character to this site.The Game Farm Road field hockey plastic carpet
project is not yet active; we'd like to see a Generic Environmental Impact study of the entire Cornell
property. Mike S reported the Planning Committee has consulted with the Attorney of the Town and they
will not be pursuing a moratorium on artificial turf at this point.
4. Chair and Coordinator reports: Lori went to the January 15 charrette on Conifer's West Hill
development project, finding it interesting but vague.There is no sketch plan for the development yet,
but Conifer is politely seeking public input to their idea that many more people could find residence on
this land. People attending wanted to preserve the rural character of this neighborhood,and to prevent
more traffic to and from the site. Lori also noted that a recent article in the New York Times reported
PFAS pollution in drinking water sourced near farm fields where sewage sludge had been used as
fertilizer.
Mike reported that Ithaca College has plans for a new running track and throwing field. He told us the
Town Board had approved rules for a smaller CB, with full membership now 7 instead of 9 members, and
a quorum of 4 instead of 5. A new 72-acre Agriculture Conservation Easement on Hayts Rd was
approved; the owner leases this land for hay now, and the easement will keep it as Ag land.A landowner
on South Hill wants to sell 135 acres to the Town for a preserve, but recent efforts to get a grant to help
fund the purchase were not completely successful. Between King Rd and the Danby Town line,this
property includes wetlands and several streams.The owner wants to sell it by 2026;the Town will keep
trying to find some way to get it. Deer Management efforts for next month are under way. New York's
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DEC is changing the way it handles wetlands in conservation management: instead of relying on
published maps, they will use GIS to help make "jurisdictional determination"on how proposed
development needs to be regulated.Town staff will need to get training for the new wetlands law and
procedures.The new FEMA flood zone mapping will soon change,too. We could learn more about this if
we want.We agreed to put a review of the new FEMA flood codes on our agenda for next month. It
seems this mostly involves building codes, but we'll find out.
5. The December 5, 2024 minutes were approved,with Ingrid so moving,James seconding, all in favor.
6. Mike presented drafts of 3 documents for discussion:The CB's Activities &Accomplishments for 2024
looked like it should add specific mention of CB advice about the proposed Verizon cell tower and the
plastic carpets on CU game fields. Frank wondered if Cornell's stalling the third view sign might go on so
long we should instead tryfor another sign in a different location.James noted we had once thought the
view from Rte. 79 at the bus shelter at EcoVillage's driveway might merit a sign, but neither he nor Eva
wanted to go about designing another view sign until our planned third one was accomplished. For
outreach events, Ingrid wants to include a grand opening for the ethnobotanical trail at Tutelo Park this
spring, and a visit to a Town Park where instead of mowing lawn, a pollinator garden could be
established. Mike will edit these documents and submit drafts for members' approval.
7. Mike noted that the CB recruitment table in our Town Hall lobby had been getting a good amount of
our pamphlets taken away. He has had to restock the CB brochures and the Scenic Tour maps on offer
there. Our guest Pete Louck today came because he found this recruitment effort interesting enough to
provoke his visit. Pete asked if we had ever had Town residents complain about their property value
being reduced by neighbors not mowing their lawn properly. Members have never heard of such a
problem, and thought most Ithacans would appreciate the benefits of replacing mowed lawns with
ecologically respectable wildlife habitats. Eva noted that we're not against all mowed lawns, especially as
tics spreading Lyme disease can make tall plants dangerous to young kids playing on grass, but that much
mowing is not needed everywhere.
8. Regular reports and updates:
a)Scenic Resources Committee: we're still waiting on CU site approval for the Pine Tree Rd view sign.
b)Communications Committee: Ingrid reported the 2024 data on our Facebook page: 2,510 views, 251
interactions, 362 followers of our page.
c)Tompkins County's EMC held a brainstorming session; Ingrid reported they were looking for more
public outreach, and more connections to county legislators.They want to promote in-person meetings,
and will again hold an outreach session at Stewart Park on Thursday, May 8, 2025 where other
municipalities and organizations can get more interconnected with them.
d) Six Mile Creek's and other streams'volunteers have been attending evening sessions where they
work on analyzing preserved summer BMI samples at the Community Science Institute's Langmuir lab.
e) Cornell Botanic Gardens Natural Areas volunteers missed some weeks of stewardship work due to
holidays and a windchill too cold for planned woody invasive removal.They managed to find days warm
enough for glyphosate application on cut stumps of honeysuckle, privet, multiflora rose, buckthorn, and
autumn olive around the north and east edges of the South Hill Swamp behind Hospicare and along the
edges of Mud Creek in Freeville's Eames Bog Natural Area. Frank asked how effective glyphosate could
be on plants frozen in the winter;James has found that most stumps treated even in the winter did not
manage to resprout.
9. Other Business: none.
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10. We'd already reviewed our 2025 Work Goals under agenda item 6 above. For our February agenda,
we'll review the FEMA flood code. Prompted by Pete's asking if we found the Town heeded our advice,
we thought we might look into getting a member of the Planning Board to attend a CB meeting or having
a CB member attend a PB meeting. We agreed we could look for ways to improve the Town's reception
of our advisory efforts.
11. We adjourned at 7:05 PM.
Minutes prepared by James Hamilton
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